Author: agcnews
2020 was a rough year for networking events. After the CLC of Middle Tennessee’s “Ugly Christmas Mask” holiday event was cancelled due to city health regulations, they thought they were done for the year. But then the call came from the Ronald McDonald House of Nashville. The staff at the Ronald McDonald House of Nashville wanted to “Light up the House” for the holiday season. These families were under an extremely strict quarantine with their children in local hospitals. The staff wanted to bring some extra holiday cheer to their hearts. They immediately called the Construction Leadership Council and asked…
Despite restrictions to in-person gatherings during the 2020 holiday season, the General Building Contractors Association’s (GBCA) Construction Leadership Council (CLC) still found a way to support Philadelphians in need and provide some much-needed holiday spirit. In 2020, the CLC moved its holiday fundraising activities predominantly online. The CLC kicked off the holiday season before Thanksgiving, collecting food and funds for Philabundance, a local hunger relief organization. In partnership with the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters and the Carpenter Contractor Trust, the CLC raised over $21,250, which purchased over 114,750 lbs. of fresh food! Several CLC members also collected…
Jolsna Thomas has over 14 years of experience in the construction industry originally focused on the law and then she branched into the areas of business development, marketing, sales, and nonprofit work. Thomas serves as Business Development Manager for Rosendin Electric, Inc., one of the largest employee-owned electrical contractors in the United States. In addition to leading Business Development efforts in Texas, she serves on Rosendin’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee and is President of The Rosendin Foundation, its 501(c)(3) charitable foundation. Thomas serves on the AGC of America Business Development Forum Steering Committee as well on the board of directors for the…
On December 15, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD) issued All Agency Memorandum (AAM) 235 rescinding AAM 212 and once again confirming that surveying work is not covered by the Davis-Bacon Act. At this time, it is unclear how the new Biden administration DOL will approach this particular situation. Many may recall AAM 212 (issued March 2013) which extended Davis Bacon coverage to those performing surveying work. It became clear pretty soon thereafter that a distinction had to be made about those who were salaried exempt and supervising the crew versus which tasks and workers which fell under…
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has issued new guidance in its ongoing efforts to support the American workforce through the pandemic recovery. As employers continue to meet the challenges presented to their businesses by the coronavirus, and as telework arrangements and virtual communication increasingly provide solutions, the agency provides additional guidance to maximize the benefits of these arrangements for employers and workers alike. The guidance comes in the form of a new Field Assistance Bulletins (FAB): WHD provides additional information on common issues employers and employees face when responding to the coronavirus and its effects…
On January 15, 2021, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted to approve revisions to EEOC’s Compliance Manual Section on Religious Discrimination. The Commission had not updated the Compliance Manual since 2008. Some noteworthy issues addressed in the Compliance Manual include: The Compliance Manual is designed to be a practical resource for employers, employees, practitioners, and EEOC enforcement staff on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s (Title VII) prohibition against religious discrimination. The guidance explains the variety of issues applicable to religious discrimination claims, discusses typical scenarios in which religious discrimination may arise, and provides guidance to employers…
Pres. Biden has revoked Pres. Trump’s controversial executive order on diversity and inclusion training. The order, Executive Order 13950, placed restrictions on the content that federal contractors, grantees, and agencies, as well as the military, could cover in employee training. AGC and other stakeholders in the business community called on Pres. Trump to withdraw the confusing order last October. In December, a federal court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction temporarily halting implementation of the restrictions on federal contractors and grantees. The court found that the plaintiffs – a number of nonprofit organizations that provide diversity and inclusion training as federal contractors and grantees –…
On January 20, President Biden issued an executive order (EO) that rescinds many executive orders issued under the Trump Administration aimed at streamlining federal regulation. Among those rescinded are the EO that required federal agencies eliminate two old regulations for each new regulation issued and created a regulatory budget by establishing a regulatory cap on federal agencies (E.O. 13771); an EO that created a regulatory reform task force and regulatory reform officers to ensure the implementation of the Administration’s deregulatory agenda (E.O. 13777); and an EO that required agencies to include proposals for reducing mandatory spending whenever an agency proposed to undertake…
On January 21, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing to evaluate the nomination of Pete Buttigieg to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. During the hearing, Buttigieg affirmed his commitment to the Biden Administration’s plans to prioritize rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, stating, “We have a lot of work to do to improve infrastructure in this country… now is the time and I believe we have a chance to deliver for the American people.” Buttigieg went on to state that “all options are on the table” in terms of financing a large infrastructure investment.…
On January 20, President Biden issued a proclamation to “pause” construction of the southern border wall within seven days. The proclamation also directs the federal agencies to formulate a plan within 60 days to redirect funding for the border wall, and tasks the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to resume, modify, or terminate such projects. President Biden’s proclamation rescinds the national emergency declaration issued under the Trump Administration to divert roughly $10 billion towards construction along the southern border. The pause applies to both border wall projects funded by redirected funds and border wall projects funded by direct…